Select a venue for the recital. If the recital is small, you may use your own home, but if that does not provide enough space, you will need to book another place. A local high school or university auditorium would suit both a musical or dance recital. You will need to provide your venue with a date and time.
Reserve a sound system. If this is a dance recital, you will need a sound system that can project to an entire auditorium. If the recital is for musicians, you will likely need an accompanist. You may allow each student to bring a personal accompanist or you may select one accompanist for every student.
Ask your venue if they have a tuned piano and microphones that musicians or the accompanist can use.
Draw up a performance plan for your recital. If your recital consists solely of solo musicians, arrange your performance by musical genre or by instrument. If your recital is for dancers, keep in mind which dancers are in more than one performance and will need time to change costumes between numbers.
Confirm your dress code or costume requirements for your recital. A musical recital might demand a simple black pants or skirt with a white top, whereas a dance recital may require multiple costumes for multiple performers. If you direct a dance studio, allow each teacher to choose the costumes from the costume company that your studio uses.
Measure students in order to be sure that costumes will fit once they arrive. Be very clear with your dancers about the kinds of tights and dance shoes that they need to wear in order to make each ensemble uniform. Also, underwear should not be worn under dance costumes, as lines are visible.
Arrange your music after the last class or lesson before your recital. If you are using CDs or an MP3 player to play music, place CDs in performance order in a CD booklet or create a playlist in the correct order to ensure that music will be played at the right time.
Do not be picky about lighting, as bringing special lighting staff or equipment will add thousands of dollars to your budget. It also helps to bring a friend knowledgeable about sound systems in case something malfunctions.